Chris Murphy on Gun Control

Senate Challenger; Democratic Rep. (CT-5)

Teachers don't want to be armed; nor do parents or students

U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal are fighting a federal proposal that could allow schools to use federal funds to provide guns to teachers. This comes after Trump administration officials reviewed federal academic enrichment grants to
see if the money can be used to procure firearms.

"Arming teachers is one of the most dangerous ideas that anyone could ever come up with for our school children," Murphy said. "Teachers don't want to be armed. Parents don't want schools to be armed.
Kids don't want their schools to be armed. We are going to do everything n our power to make sure that Department of Education funds, taxpayer dollars, do not get used to put weapons in our classrooms."

The plan prompted swift condemnation from
Democratic lawmakers and many educators, who accused the Trump administration of wanting to deprive students of much-needed mental health support and other resources in the interests of the National Rifle Association.

Stricter gun control laws on a federal level

Nearly six years have passed since the shooting here in Connecticut, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 students and six faculty and staff members were killed in December 2012.

As Connecticut enacted stricter gun control
legislation in the state, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy stepped up calls for stricter gun control laws on a federal level.

He introduced an amendment that would block the Education Department from using the funds to arm schools
[as the Trump administration is considering]. "Teachers' jobs are already hard enough," Murphy said. "We ask teachers to do more today than we ever have before."

He said teachers are stretched thin today and don't have the ability to be trained
in firearms and to safely manipulate and store weapons in schools. "The Secretary of Education cares more about the firearms industry's bottom line than the safety of our kids, and that should scare parents to death," Murphy said .

Sandy Hook opened my eyes to catastrophe of gun violence

Working on this issue of gun violence, it just was not at the top of my political priority list. As a congressman, I didn't represent any of the cities in Connecticut with epidemic rates of gun violence. But it's become my singular focus now as a
US Senator because in the wake of Sandy Hook, my eyes have frankly been opened to the catastrophe of gun violence in America and the inability to explain our exceptionally high levels of gun homicide with any data points but our gun ownership rates and
our lax gun laws.

In nearly four years since Sandy Hook, the carnage in our streets has not abated. Gun homicides remain as regular as raindrops in our urban cores. And terrorist organizations, they now see the assault weapon, rather than the hijacked
airplane or the improvised explosive device, as their primary opportunity for mass slaughter in America. Stopping dangerous style military assault weapons from flooding our streets is now one of the most effective tools we have to combat terrorism.

The NRA created a fantasy world where stockpiles are needed

From the center to left of the political spectrum, the conversation about guns in America is largely about the mechanics of how guns are regulated, how they flow into the hands of law abiding citizens and criminals, which weapons should be legal, and
which ones should be illegal.

The dysfunction in our dialogue over guns [is because gun policy on] the right half of the political spectrum has nothing to do with gun laws and everything to do with abstract concepts of liberty & freedom & revolution.

The gun industry in cahoots with the gun lobby, the NRA and the Gun Owners of America, they've created a fantasy construct of a world in which citizens need to arm themselves against an out of control government.
Instead of one gun, you need 10 or 20 or 40 so that you can arm yourself and your neighborhood when the black helicopters start landing in your backyards. Oh, and you better also stockpile a year's worth of ammunition just in case.

NRA has more control over Congress than any other group

The candidates said they backed gun control legislation. Tong praised state legislation requiring that lost or stolen guns be reported in 72 hours to make it harder for their sale to criminals. "That's the kind of leadership we need in Washington, common
sense legislation," he said.

Murphy said lobbying by the National Rifle Association makes such legislation nearly impossible in Washington. "The NRA has more control over Congress than almost any other political interest group there," he said.

Source: The Connecticut Day on 2012 CT Senate Debate
, Apr 16, 2012

Voted YES on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets.

Congressional Summary:

The term 'large capacity ammunition feeding device' means a magazine or similar device that has an overall capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition

It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

Shall not apply to the possession of any large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed before 2013.

Shall not apply to qualified or retired law enforcement officers.

Proponent's Argument for voting Yes: Sen. BLUMENTHAL: This amendment would ban high-capacity magazines which are used to kill more people more quickly and, in fact, have been used in more than half the mass shootings since 1982. I ask my colleagues to listen to law enforcement, their police, prosecutors who are outgunned by criminals who use these high-capacity magazines. I ask that my colleagues also listen to the families of those killed by people who
used a high-capacity magazine.

Opponent's Argument for voting No: Sen. GRASSLEY. I oppose the amendment. In 2004, which is the last time we had the large-capacity magazine ban, a Department of Justice study found no evidence banning such magazines has led to a reduction in gun violence. The study also concluded it is not clear how often the outcomes of the gun attack depend on the ability of offenders to fire more than 10 shots without reloading. Secondly, there is no evidence banning these magazines has reduced the deaths from gun crimes. In fact, when the previous ban was in effect, a higher percentage of gun crime victims were killed or wounded than before it was adopted. Additionally, tens of millions of these magazines have been lawfully owned in this country for decades. They are in common use, not unusually dangerous, and used by law-abiding citizens in self-defense, as in the case of law enforcement.

Close the Gun Show Loophole; restrict show sales.

Makes it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person:

has attained 21 years of age;

is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements;

has registered with the Attorney General as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints;

has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and

notifies the Attorney General of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show.

Imposes recordkeeping requirements on gun show operators and criminal penalties for failure to register as a gun show operator and maintain required records. Increases criminal penalties for serious recordkeeping violations and violations of criminal background check requirements. Authorizes the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to hire additional investigators to carry out inspections of gun shows.

Ban large-capacity ammunition.

to prohibit the transfer or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, except for its lawful possession within the United States on or before the date of this Act's enactment; and

the importation or bringing into the United States of such a device (with some exceptions).

Identification Markings: Requires a large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after this Act's enactment to be identified by a serial number that clearly shows that the device was manufactured after enactment.

Whoever knowingly violates this law shall be fined, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.